Midsummer Night's Chaos
by ej8012
Summary: Lethe & Ranulf plan to run away from her arranged marriage with Ike, but when the hero is tipped off by Soren chaos ensues. In a magical forest with magical inhabitants, anything can happen. Based on Midsummer Night's Dream. Ranulf/Lethe Ike/Fem!Soren Rhys/Titania


**A/N: **Featuring Titania as Titania, Oscar as Oberon, Rhys as Bottom, Lethe, as Hermia, Ranulf as Lysander, Ike as Demetrius, and a female Soren as Helena! Beware of some crack-ish moments, brought by reading this play in school. Enjoy, a Midsummer Night's Chaos!

**~You don't need to know the real plot to understand, and I won't be completely following the original either~**

**Warnings: **OOC characters and crack plot with random moments. Don't expect everything to make sense XD You've been warned!

"I don't want to marry him father!" The purple-eyed, orange haired cat was pouting, raging, and overall complaining, to her father. The man sighed and looked at his daughter with a confused and what-the-heck-are-you-talking-about look.

"Why not? He's brave! Strong! Powerful! You get along with him fine!" He was a well-known lord on the Crimean-Gallian border, and a powerful one as well. His daughter was known for her sharp tongue and lack of self-control, chasing away most suitors. In all honesty, he was running out of options.

"He's a friend! Sir Ike is not who I want to marry! Father, I've told you time and time again, Sir Ranulf is perfectly fine and equally capable-"

"And is not my choice. I must help improve beorc-laguz relations, and this is the best thing I can do! So you will be quiet, marry him, or be executed! King Naesala will be marrying the Lady Leanne in two days time, and you will be married as well, Lethe!" With that, Lethe's father left the room and closed the door sharply, leaving his daughter staring at the door. She shook her head and walked over to her window, which looked over the gardens and grounds, even the gate.

"Ranulf... It seems we must use our plan anyway." She sighed and looked at a picture of her, Sir Ike, and Sir Ranulf, all smiling and messing around. They were younger in the picture, maybe ten or eleven. Things were so simple... And now? Now she was running away from it all, her family, friends, her _life_. She grit her teeth and blinked past tears.

"No... I am running away from an arranged marriage even Ike doesn't want all that much. Gallia will be better, you'll see. Ranulf thinks I'll love it..." Lethe looked back outside, a stray drop of water running down her face as she saw the trees waving in the wind, the flowers blossoming in the dirt, the laguz and beorc (how strange she wasn't calling them humans) talking and laughing. Everyone being so normal, so friendly, so familiar.

"I should get ready." Lethe decided, grabbing her blinds and pulling them closed.

"So she's going to run away with Ranulf, your best friend, to get away from you! Obviously she's a loathsome, evil, demon for trying something so deviant... You should go after her and teach her a lesson! Foul, stinking, demonic, woman!" Long black hair contrasting against her pale skin, red eyes full of hate. It was a typical look for the young woman named Soren. She was talking to her long time friend and love of her life (though she was quite sure someone as wonderful as Ike would not love her back) Sir Ike. Said Sir was frowning, which was a normal occurrence for him, but he also seemed mad. Very mad.

"Lethe... We're friends, really! I know she's not happy marrying me, but surely she wouldn't go so far... I must try to stop her! If she's caught, then... They'll kill her! Surely she knows she can't escape? Oh, thank you so much Soren, without you telling me this, who knows what would've happened! Tonight, did you say?" Ike asked. He had been sitting in his garden when Soren found him, but now he was standing up. He gripped his book (a study of the modern beorc-laguz relationship) tightly and didn't look directly at Soren. Still, the black haired girl couldn't help but marvel at Ike, though she was able to hide her feelings easily.

"Yes! They'll meet in the old clearing in the Magical Forest, just before the moon is fully in the sky. By morning they plan on being in Gallia, about to be married by some lion by the name Skimir or something. A relative of Ranulf apparently." Ike smiled for a second and looked down on Soren, nodding. He turned to go into his home, but stopped and looked back at his friend (Soren's only real friend) with a look of puzzlement on his face.

"Wait... How do you know all this? Lethe doesn't seem the kind to talk about this to lots of people." Soren's face flashed in a smile- a rare occurrence. Then it was back to its perfect monotone and she replied,

"She told her friend Mordecai, who tolled his friend Stefan... It was rather easy to get him to tell me." Ike raised an eyebrow, but seeing Soren's blush, decided not to ask just how she was able to get that information. Stefan was known to have a crush on Soren, who coldly denied him. Ike nodded and walked away, heading into his castle (inherited when his father was killed during a war).

"Ike... Why do you care for her so much? She doesn't return your feelings! You don't even want to marry her that much! Can't you see that _I _love you? Not her?" Soren cried out, falling to her knees, holding her face as a few tears started to fall. "Its not fair! Why must I love you so when you do not? Why does she get you, the sub-human scum?"

It was so dark in the forest, Lethe realized. Sure, her cat eyes allowed her to see better then most, but the thick branches were a roof unto itself, letting little light pass through the undergrowth, where the car was standing. The sooner I get to the clearing, the better, Lethe told herself firmly. It was too late to go back, after all.

She had left a short note to her sister, poor Lyre, who would cry and wonder why Lethe had to leave. Nothing for her father, of course. A short letter to Ike, who would be so confused when he heard the news... Lethe sighed and picked up her run, following the path she had memorized as a young kitten. Soon she would be with Ranulf, her _true _love. Then everything would be alright- right?

However, as she neared the clearing she heard shouting from two familiar voices, and she broke into a sprint. As she entered the clearing the words became clear, though the images were confusing. Ike, point a sword at Ranulf, who was trying to explain things, though he was slowly transforming into his cat form.

"How could you do this to me Ranulf? I thought we were friends! I know you love her, but her father decided-"

"Against her will!" Ranulf howled, fully transformed. "She won't be happy with you Ike! She doesn't want to be with you! Just let us go and everything will be alright! So get out of my way!" Neither of them had noticed her, though the clearing was well-lit by a full moon and Ranulf could usual notice her scent from miles away.

"You know I can't do that! What if you're caught? Then you might have gotten her killed!" Ike shouted back. Something caught Lethe's eyes from behind Ike, and the cat realized it was Soren. What the heck was she doing here? How did Ike know about their plan? Then Lethe realized Soren was holding something- a fire tome, and that her red eyes were glaring at her. Lethe howled and transformed, charging towards the sage.

"This is all your fault!" Lethe screamed, her claws and eyes gleaming in the nighttime light. She would have ripped Soren to pieces, but Ike shoved the little Branded (like the entire town didn't know about the taboo that was Soren, born out of an unholy joining between a beorc and laguz, like they were trying to do with Lethe and Ike) behind him and shouted,

"Soren is my friend, and you won't harm her for telling me something you shouldn't be doing!" Lethe hissed but slide to a stop, several feet out of Ike's range, and switched back to her human form. She crossed her arms and glared venomously at Ike. Ranulf hissed as well as he approached his long time friend and ally.

"Last chance Ike... Let us pass or face me..." Ranulf's voice was full of hissing and spitting, but it was understandable. Ike narrowed his eyes and stuck his sword in the ground.

"You may be my friends... But I will not let you pass!" He pulled out his sword and charged at Ranulf, who lept out of the way by seconds. Ranulf spun in the air before landing, and hissed,

"Lethe! Run!" Before attacking Ike. The female cat wasted no time and ran out of the clearing, on the opposite side. She didn't look back, though she wanted too. Her ears pricked up as she checked to make sure Soren wasn't following. Good, the little devil decided to stay with the Ranulf and her darling little Ike...

Lethe transformed and picked up her pace, running deeper into the forest. She would soon find out she was lost, around the same time Ranulf would run after her (following her scent) and Ike would try to follow the much faster cat, only to get lost himself and be so annoyed by Soren that he would shout at her, sending her away.

And, of course, around the same time two royal persons would start an argument that would affect the entire forest, the four star crossed lovers, and an unknowing group of actors.

"He's mine! I don't care what you say Oscar, but the servant is with me and not with you, and I will not give him up for anything you may offer!" The fairy queen, radiant in her golden-red armor, and carrying a battle ax nearly as tall as her, snapped. Her eyes narrowed and an invisible breeze buffeted her hair. She was close to attacking the fairy king, Oscar.

The (fairy) man was wearing silvery-green armor, and carried a lance just as tall as his wife's battle ax. His eyes were always narrowed into slits, and his cheerful expression hide the schemes and trickery inside. He replied in an almost bored manner,

"Why not Titania, my queen? Why, he is but one of your many loyal servants, and you cannot deny me what I want." They had been arguing heavily recently. This alone would not be a dramatic event, as they argued over nearly everything and sought revenge after each other for a number of things (Titania sending Oscar's youngest family member into the town, where the boy would be raised a human named Rolf; Oscar turning Titania's horse into a dog, and on and on) but this argument had been going on for a number of months. And in summer, when the weather was at its strongest and nature reacted the most violently, the monarch's fight had repercussions everywhere.

Droughts in one area, floods in another. Forest fires breaking out at random, and earthquakes destroying entire cities and roads, bringing ruin onto most of the people on Tellius. And, now, their argument was heating over on a certain night.

To put it simply, the timing for the argument could not be much worse.

"Don't 'my queen' me Oscar! You turned my mount into a dog, so I will remain in control of the one you call Ilyana, whom you like to feed so much! Now go away and cook or something! I don't want to talk to you anymore!" You may be wondering how the two of them were married, and in truth neither of them had been very keen on marriage in the first place. But the fairies couldn't be ruled by just one person, so they joined together, if just to lessen their own workloads.

Oscar, for his part, just smiled more. It resembled the look someone would give you before stabbing you in the back, and Titania barely suppressed a shudder. That man (fairy, technically) had his mood swings. And right now his mood was preparing for the kill.

"My fine queen, whatever you wish... Whatever you wish." He was still smiling when Titania and her group of servants and helpers left the clearing. Once they were well and truly gone, Oscar's smile lessened and he glanced behind him.

"Shinon! I have a task for you." The red-haired elf was just as tall as Oscar, and was one of the tallest and trickiest beings in the entire forest. He worked for Oscar just because his well-known soft spot (Rolf) was his little brother.

"Yeah? Does it have something to do with tricking Titania into giving you Ilyana?" He was also quick and intelligent, something that Oscar valued in his help.

"Yes it does... What do you know of the plants in the forest? The magical ones." The squinted-eyed one asked. Shinon shrugged.

"Not much. I'm not into potions or spells." He admitted. Oscar's grin reappeared and he patted Shinon on the back as if in sympathy.

"That's alright, my helper. You only need to know about one for this little task. There is a plant with silver leaves and a golden stem, growing in the very center of the great gardens of the middle of the forest. Find them, and crush them into these magical containers." Oscar gave him three glass vials that looked like a thin, opening flower. Shinon took them carefully as Oscar continued to explain to him what he had to do to pull the flowers.

"Then, come back to me. I will be wandering the forest. Find me with all three vials full. Be quick! The potions will only last a night, and the flowers can only be harvested once a month. This must succeed or I will be forced to find another plan." Shinon nodded and quickly ran off. With his inhuman speed he would reach his destination in a matter of minutes. Oscar glanced at his chattering servants behind him and narrowed his eyes even more.

"Be gone! Prepare my house for a grand feast! If all goes as planned, we will all be eating well tonight, and the problems with my poor queen will be solved..." Oscar opened his eyes and the shining colors glittered in the moonlight.

"And the girl named Ilyana will be mine." Oscar was left alone in the clearing and he summoned up his steed, a noble horse fast as the wind.

"And now, to find someone to play a few tricks on!"

Now our star-crossed lovers, Ike and Soren, Ranulf and Lethe, and our fairy king and queen were not the only people in the magical and mystical forest that night. For, the Lord Naesala and Lady Leanne were to be married tomorrow! And they required entertainment befit the royalty they were. This is where a small group of actors comes in.

Run by Lord Bastian, these men hoped to preform in front of the Lord and Lady during their wedding. They would be paid enough to work and live easily for a long time, and the amount of credibility they would receive was a prize unto itself.

They would put on a magical story of lovers, magical beings, and a country lost in war and hate. And while Lord Bastian not only wrote the play, he was also in it, the main character was left up to a young priest going by the name Rhys. Only he could _really _bring the play together.

See, this was all in a time when a woman wasn't allowed to be an actress, and men had to play as women in plays. Rhys was small enough, his voice high and soft enough, and with the right wig, feminine enough, to be the perfect actor playing a woman. And he did better then most would think a simple member of the clergy could.

When the play called for him to cry, he would cry. When it called for him to swoon over this person, or that person, he would. When he had to be frightful, he was so realistic the crowd would look for an unknown horror. He was the gem of the play, the crowning jewel. He made the others certain they would preform and would be showered with riches.

"Ah! We are all tired from practicing our play. For a short while, shall we take a rest so our minds and bodies will be prepared to preform for their Excellencies tomorrow?" Bastian asked the others. They all nodded and Rhys, who entered the forest on occasion to harvest healing herbs and plants, wandered off to see if he could find anything new, for he had never been in so far when it was so dark.

Perhaps if Bastian had not announced their break so loudly, the fairy king would have passed them, not knowing they were there. But he did hear and his scheming brain worked quickly. These men will have to do, for I am running out of time to prepare. Unwilling to go into their midst, Oscar used his fairy eyes to spot one of them walking off away from the others. He knew this man was the one, and he rode silently over to him.

Rhys's bright red hair was the first thing Oscar noticed, the shade nearly matching Titania's. The second thing was that his robes were still pure white (except the ends which trailed on the ground) despite the fact he was in a forest. The third was that the fairy king knew he'd be perfect for the little trick he was going to play.

Oscar muttered his spell under his breath, and the priest must have heard something for he stood up straight (having bent down to look for plants) and looked around.

"Hello? Is someone there?" But Oscar was hidden by the shadows surrounding him, shadows that no beorc or laguz eye could see through. So that was that and Rhys turned around, and Oscar finished his spell, without anyone else, save his horse, knowing what he had done.

Oscar laughed gleefully to himself as he galloped away into the forest, and soon all evidence he was there disappeared.

"Rhys? Oh gallant priest of whom we all rely so deeply on, where are you?" Bastian's voice wove through the trees and Rhys picked his head up, looking towards the sound. Well, that must mean they're waiting for me so we can start, he thought to himself.

So he carefully made his way through the tangled underbrush, and pushed quite a few branches out of his way. His head hurt a little, but he would be fine to practice more with the others. After all, they _were _all depending on him. However, the moment he broke into the clearing they were practicing in, the others all gasped and backed away.

"Why, a beast's head you do have!" Bastian cried out, one hand held up in terror. Then they started to run and Rhys cried out,

"Wait, what's wrong? What has happened?" But none of them stayed and soon Rhys was all alone in the clearing, not knowing what the fairy king had done to him, only knowing his friends had run from him like he was some sort of animal.

Bastian said I have a beast's head... But that's impossible! Rhys sighed and looked at his hands, and his feet. They were all the same, normal as for any human. Five fingers, his feet were not an animal's. What has happened? Surely the tales about this being a mystical forest were only fantasy! Rhys thought.

He tried to call out that nothing was wrong, but instead a terrible braying came out of his mouth. And, with horror, Rhys realized his head had been turned to a donkey's!

All throughout those events, Ranulf had gone chasing after his love Lethe. Unwilling to give up his bride that easily, Ike followed after with a speed faster then most beorc men could keep up. Somehow, poor Soren managed to trail after him, crying out that he should leave Lethe and Ranulf. However, Ranulf had cat eyes and a cat nose to guide him through the darkness after his prize. Ike did not, and soon he lost the trail and was forced to a walk.

"Ah! Where is that sly cat? Where has he gone, running after Lethe like he can help her... No, I must find him and her, if only to make them see sense!" Ike had no counted on the willpower of Soren though, and was shocked when the woman ran into the clearing after him. She collapsed onto the ground, so tired that her limbs refused to move another inch. Her eyes were wild with both love and exhaustion, and she was covered in dirt and mud from her wild chase. Ike, being a stranger to true love, was lost to any reason why Soren would go to such lengths to follow him.

"What are you doing Soren? You're killing yourself! Go home and sleep and be ready for tomorrow! You accomplish nothing by death!" Stung by Ike's hurtful words, realizing that her love did not understand, Soren struggled to her feet, eyes glistening with fresh tears. Ike was blind to it. Perhaps the night's events had brought him to the end of his goodwill, or perhaps Soren had finally pushed her luck too much. But the reason does not matter as much as what Ike did.

"Go away Soren! Now!" He shouted. Soren stumbled back, like she had been shoved by an invisible force. And she could only watch as her love ran into the forest, away from her. It was like her limbs were frozen, and all she could do was breath. Perhaps that would have been the end, Soren trembling as she ran back, had the forest not been magical.

But the fairy king Oscar was passing by, and had witnessed the entire scene. He gawked at Ike's apparently cold heart, and even his cold heart was melted by Soren's obvious dedication to her love, and he was filled with furry at Ike's actions. Though he was not the model for the perfect relationship, he did not care. He would find justice for the poor girl!

It was, as chance be it, then that Shinon found his master again. He was panting from his quick run, and the three vials now glowed dimly with the magical plants locked inside of them. Shinon bowed slightly to Oscar before saying,

"King! I have what you requested of me!" Oscar was busy thinking, but turned behind him and nodded at the elf. He realized that he had what he needed to find justice for the one called Soren, against Ike. He motioned for Shinon to hand him a vial, which he did so.

"Do you know what this will do?" He asked. Even though it was half-way through the night already, he couldn't resist the chance to toy with the elf. Shinon shrugged, not really caring. "Heh. Put it on a sleeping person's eyes, and they, be them laguz or beorc, magical or not, will fall in love with the first person they see. It does not matter if the person be of different race, and gender does not matter. It is, in effect, a love potion." Shinon raised an eyebrow at the fairy king, who ignored it.

"Now listen carefully! Take your potions and put one on a man running through the forest, chasing another. He will have blue hair, you cannot miss him! Ensure he does not wake until he sees one called Soren, there's a simple spell... 'Sleep tight, sleep light, do not wake till Soren passes tonight'. Remember it! Now go! Return to me once you have finished your task!" Shinon, the loyal (and tired) servant nodded and disappeared as he ran off. Oscar gripped his own vial tightly, his grin more of a sneer now.

"Now to visit my queen, who will be resting once she reaches her home. Ha! My plan reaches fruition, and I have time to spare! Before the night is up, lovely Ilyana shall be mine!" And with that announcement, Oscar the fair king took his leave of that clearing to make his way to one far away. And, as you could expect in a magical forest, poor Rhys the priest with a donkey's head, was finding his way to the queen's home.

Oh, I hope I can find a way to reverse this spell... What kind of magic did this? I cannot think of a spell such as this... Rhys's thoughts were worrisome as he wandered deeper and deeper into the forest, even if it was on accident. His head felt the same, until he touched it or tried to speak. Then he was reminded about his problem, about his friends running from him. He was sad and tired and cold and, just a little bit, hungry.

He had found something that could be a grass path, lined with little stones that seemed to have come from a river because of their perfect roundness and smooth look. They were everything from white to black, and every shade of gray between. And now he was following it, hoping that whatever was on the end could help him and would not harm him.

While he felt he had been walking forever and a day, in truth it had only been an hour or so. Still, he was tired and was glad when a light appeared at the end of the path. Excited, Rhys started to run forward and found himself slowing to a stop when a small cottage, with an extraordinary sprawl of glowing plants and bushes surrounding it. The entire place seemed to glow with a silvery light, and the priest was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

He didn't enter the house, instead he made his way to the back where the glow was the strongest. This was because one of the most magical beings of all, the fairy queen herself, was lying in a patch of magical flowers as she slept. Rhys felt his breath catch in his throat.

She was the most beautiful woman in the world, he thought. Her red hair was lying in all directions as she lay on her back, her left arm lying extended while her right arm lay over her stomach. Her legs were folded neatly together, and her golden-red armor reflected all the glowing light back into the night sky. The trees had all been cut back, so the moonlight helped aid the queen's beauty show itself, now that she was asleep.

Now, nothing is faster then a fairy traveling at their top speed, and the fairy king was no ordinary fairy. In fact, he was able to arrive thirty minutes before Rhys and put the potion on his wife's eyes without a second thought. A sleeping spell (Sleep tight, sleep light, do not wake till Rhys passes tonight) just in case, and the fairy king was off again.

So though Rhys started backing up upon seeing Titania the fairy queen (thinking she must be a goddess and he had wandered into her sacred realm in the forest) it was too late, and her eyes fluttered open and fell upon the fragile priest with a donkey's head. Rhys froze, fearing what the figure (not a person, she was too glorious to be human) might do to him.

"Who are you?" The fairy queen asked, her voice cold with a hint of curiosity. The spell wove its magic quickly, and soon the fairy was looking at the man with a donkey's head with a glaze of love in her eyes. "Come here." She said, wishfully. Scared, a trembling Rhys made his way over to the queen. She motioned for him to sit next to her, and her strong arms wrapped around him.

"Why are you trembling?" Titania's calm voice soothed Rhys, and he soon stopped. "Hmm. That's good... Stay here, with me..." Rhys closed his eyes thinking, maybe everything would be alright. After all, if she can help me fix my head then everything will be alright.

In the bushes nearby, a softly laughing fairy king watched his queen. It was so amusing, using the right potion on the right person. So now, with his queen distracted, Oscar darted into the small cottage (which was really a large castle, looking small on the outside to save space) to find what he had come for- Ilyana.

During this all, Ranulf had grown exceptionally tired from his long run. Lethe had slowed to a walk a long time ago, and though Ranulf did not know this, had stopped to rest long ago. Still, the male laguz decided that he had lost Ike hours ago and stopped running, his limbs giving out below him. His vision was blurry, and his entire body ached. It was like this, then, that the cat fell asleep on the soft grass.

Ike had been forced to a walk, and had gotten lost and while he would eventually run into Ranulf again, that was not fated to happen for some time. Instead, it would be a much faster person to run into Ranulf first. Shinon ran into the clearing quickly, his eyes scanning the place just as fast. He nearly ran back into the forest, when he eyes fell onto a sleeping cat.

A sleeping cat with blue fur. Thinking back to what Oscar the fairy king had said about the unmistakeable blue hair, Shinon pulled out one of the vials and put it over the laguz's eyes. Thinking it was a stupid sub-human, Shinon smirked thinking about what would happen to it.

"Sleep tight, sleep light, do not wake till Soren passes tonight." He said, smirk growing as the potion settled on the cat's eyes. So, with his mission carried out, he headed back into the forest to find his king and tell him of the good news.

Now, Ranulf did not know what was going on. How could he, after all? He was deep asleep. But right as Shinon sped into a blur, a very lost and very tired Soren stumbled into the clearing. Her eyes widening as she saw the mysterious figure leave, she looked around for some evidence of magic having occurred, thinking back to the rumors of the forest being mystical.

It certainly was mysterious, she thought as she noticed Ranulf. That fiend! He tried to fight Ike! The thoughts ran into her head and she found the strength to stand and walk over to the offending cat and tapped her foot lightly, thinking of what to do with him. She had lost her fire tome while following Ike; dropped it to be more accurate. She had used all of the spells trying to hit Lethe or light her way forward.

And since the spell said Ranulf would not wake until Soren passed him, now he awoke, seeing the archsage standing in front of him. And instantly, the cat was smitten with a magical love with no known cure. Soren noticed it quickly, the glazed look appearing in Ranulf's eyes, and the way he seemed unable to say anything.

"What's wrong with you?" Soren snapped, hoping that she was wrong. Of course she wasn't, and Ranulf replied with a,

"Nothing, I'm just looking at your beauty... How have I never noticed it before?" Soren raised an eyebrow and backed away in disgust. Ranulf struggled to sit up and finally did, his face with a crazy grin on his face.

"Sooooren... What a pretty name. Soooren." Ranulf managed to stand up and tried to hug Soren, and she pushed the cat away. A hurt look flashed in his eyes and yet Soren felt no pity, only a mix of horror and loathing for the laguz.

"Stay away from me!" Soren said, scared of Ranulf. The cat purred and Soren found herself tripping and falling onto the ground. She was caught by Ranulf, and let out a squeak of protest. "W-What are you doing?" She asked him indignantly.

"Saving you, m'dear." Soren felt a flash of furry and would have blasted him with a spell if she had one. Luckily for Ranulf, she didn't.

Lethe yawned and stretched, out of her cat form since she had lost it an hour before she had fallen asleep. Looking around, she realized it was past midnight, roughly. The warm summer's air was nearly gone, and she was glad for her cat abilities to stay warm despite her lack of warm clothing. Deciding it wouldn't be worth it to transform again, she scented the air for Ranulf.

Bingo, she thought to herself. Only thirty minutes behind me, good. So Lethe finished her stretching and stood straight, facing the direction she smelled Ranulf. Huh, that's strange. Someone or something else is with him. Deciding he might need her help, she started off on a steady job towards the clearing where Ranulf had been hit head-over-tail in love because of a potion and a mistake.

"Gr... Whoever is with him better be ready for my claws!" Lethe muttered to herself, jumping over a tangled patch of vines. She would reach the clearing in ten minutes, but she didn't have to run that far. Instead, Soren recovered enough of her energy to run away from Ranulf; and towards Lethe. Lethe twitched her ears and narrowed her eyes.

"Who's there?" She called out, preparing to transform if it was something dangerous. Instead, her eyes opened wide in shock and she jumped out of the way of a quickly running Soren, who was followed closely by Ranulf.

"Wait my love! Come back to Ranulf!" Lethe slapped the male cat who shook his head and glared at Lethe. "What was that for?" He asked. Neither of them heard that a human was coming closer to them, following the sounds of voices.

"You're chasing Soren around! Her! I've been looking for you for ages!" Lethe said a small white lie, but she was too infuriated to care. "What's wrong with you! We have to get out of here before Ike or someone else finds us!" Ranulf looked at Lethe with a puzzled expression.

"We have to run?" He said, his voice revealing his full confusion. Lethe snarled and shook Ranulf, like that would snap him out of whatever was wrong with him.

"Yes! Ike is coming after us! Soren's the reason all of this is happening! Come on!" Lethe tried to pull Ranulf away, but Ranulf didn't move. He narrowed his eyes at Lethe. Soren was cowering behind a tree, some number of yards away.

"Wait... You are blaming Soren for your problems?" Ranulf asked the female cat, who nodded and tried to pull him away again.

"Come on! What's wrong with you? Arg!" Lethe stomped her foot in anger and dropped Ranulf's hand. Good, because said cat was transforming, much to Lethe's surprise.

"Soren has nothing to do with your problems! I'll attack you if you think something is wrong with Soren" Lethe looked at Ranulf with a hurt look in her eyes. She backed away slowly, until her back was against a tree.

"Ran-Ranulf... Why? Why her? What happened to you?" She was trembling, and so preoccupied that the otherwise obvious sounds of someone chopping through the underbrush was hidden to her. Ranulf was under the potion's spell completely, and his sense were good for nothing except sensing Soren at this point.

"What's happened to me? Nothing! Nothing has happened to me! I love Soren, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Now, any person under normal circumstances would recall the tales about the forest and its supposedly magical inhabitants. But Lethe had been singed by Soren, had run through the forest looking for her fellow cat, and was now being told that she was being tossed aside for a half-breed piece of dirt. Furious, the female transformed and lept at Ranulf.

Only, her attack missed and she was hit into a tree because Ike just then broke into the small forest path and knocked Lethe aside. She hissed at him, and so did Ranulf, but Ike's sword gave him a much farther reach and Soren had crept out from behind her tree to stand behind Ike. Ranulf was hesitant to attack Ike if Soren might be hurt.

"Ranulf! Lethe! I've found you! Give it up, you can't run anymore!" Lethe howled in defiance, while Ranulf growled,

"Run? No, I just want the girl who hides behind you! She's mine!" Ike glanced behind him and seemed to just noticed Soren's small figure. The poor woman was trembling as she held onto Ike's cape. Ike's eyes softened and he said,

"Why didn't you go home? Soren, you're going to kill yourself running through the forest." Soren quivered as Ike, a friend to those in need, kneeled down so he was at eye height with the much smaller figure.

"I-Ike... Something's wrong with Ranulf, he woke up looking at me and he just started going crazy! Ike..." Soren trembled and Ike pulled her into his arms. Soren was always a little weak emotionally, even though she seemed strong. Ike was maybe the only person who knew the entire thing was just a clever little facade.

"Don't worry, I'll get yah out of here alright." They broke apart when Ranulf howled and started moving close to the two of them. Ike stood and pushed Soren behind him. "Ranulf! You're not in your right mind! Come back to the city with me, we'll find some way to fix this all!" Ranulf just howled again.

"Soren is mine! Don't pretend to care for her Ike! I was meant to be with her!" At this, Lethe howled in pain and Soren gave Ike a frightened glance. Ike was a stone wall to all of this. He pointed his sword at his friend and said coldly,

"Don't be a fool. You love Lethe and we all know it. Even you, somewhere in your head. Snap out of it! I don't know what's wrong with you, but I know there is something wrong with you, even if you don't think so." Ranulf growled and then tensed and finally he pounced.

Pleased with his night's work, the fairy king was ready to head back to his home and start cooking meals like he usually did on nights such as this. All he was waiting for was his servant, Shinon, to report back to him. So he was waiting, but something felt strange.

The peaceful tranquility of the nighttime forest was gone, replaced with a strange sort of tension. It was like nature knew something was wrong, but Oscar did not. Worried by this, and seeing Shinon had yet to reappear, Oscar went looking for what could have happened. His queen would be fine in her magical garden, even if the human was with her. Shinon could take care of himself, even without his magical bow and arrows. And Oscar was quite sure the troupe of actors had left the forest after seeing Rhys's new head.

That left the four star-crossed lovers, and they were very easy to find. Closing his eyes, Oscar searched the forest with his magical powers, looking for flashes of chaos and problems. Finding them easily, the fairy king frowned to himself. If Shinon had carried out his task correctly, all of their problems should be solved. So he whistled for his magical steed to come to him, and he rode off to the source of the chaos in the quite.

Shinon was nearly to his king, and the two nearly collided on their different paths. Swearing to himself, the elf picked himself up around the same time Oscar did. Oscar's narrow eyes regarded Shinon as he asked,

"Did you carry out your task?" Shinon nodded and Oscar's eyes narrowed even more. "Are you sure? You put the potion on the man who was being followed by Soren?" Shinon raised an eyebrow at his master.

"Man? You said I was looking for someone with blue hair! I put the potion on a blue-haired sub-human, not a man." Oscar held his head with a hand as he shook it. No wonder there was so much chaos. This would need to be fixed before the night was up. Sure, the potion would wear off eventually, but it could be sudden and the effects would not be pretty. Oscar would much rather fix everything himself. So, grabbing his servant and throwing him onto his horse, Oscar mounted his steed too and rode off towards the human male, the half-breed woman, and the two cat laguz. This was not what you could call a typical night for the fairy king.

His horse being faster then the wind, he was able to arrive at the scene before any major damage was done. Which was lucky, because there was already a full on fight by the time Oscar and Shinon reached the clearing, where the fighting had moved when it was decided there wasn't enough space in the forest path.

"Give it up Ranulf! You cannot beat me!" Ike roared, though he was covered in blood and panting heavily. Ranulf looked worse, with several deep wounds and with barely enough strength to stand. Soren had climbed up a tree and Lethe was waiting at the bottom, calling out for Soren to jump or run like the coward she was. Oscar glared at Shinon, who was surprised.

"I-I thought- You told me to put the potion on the person with blue hair! How am I supposed to know two people have blue hair in this forest?" Shinon asked rather loudly. Luckily for him, Oscar's presence made him invisible. It did not filter out what he said though, and the four mortals in the clearing were looking around for the voice.

"Wh-What was that?" Ike asked, lowering his sword. Ranulf looked around and sniffed the air, his head turning towards where Oscar and Shinon were standing, Oscar having dismissed his horse. Oscar's glare grew and he snapped his fingers. A loud crack filled the clearing, and the mortals all fell asleep. Soren fell out of the tree, but some magic ensured she fell safely. They were all lined up next to each other.

"You are the most idiotic person in this forest, aren't you?" Oscar said at Shinon. He sighed and waved a hand at his servant. "Go and talk with Rolf or something. I can do this last part by myself." Shinon nodded, not risking the king's wrath, and disappeared in a flash of smoke. Oscar sighed again and walked over to the magically sleeping figures in front of him. Because their sleep was magical, their wounds were healing (although slowly) and they would awake only when he wanted them too. Even then, they would feel more refreshed then usual.

"So hard to find good help these days." Oscar muttered to himself. He waved a hand over Ranulf's eyes. "Let your love for Soren begone, return your love to the one you do." Then he looked at Ike and at the third vial, which he had taken without Shinon knowing (or, more accurately, caring). "Magical love is hard to overcome, and it may not be needed here." He put it away, somehow knowing Ike's story would end without more magic. Moving to the next person, it was Lethe.

"You have felt so much pain so quickly... Rest in peace now, and all will be good." Oscar moved on, needing no spell to heal Lethe's broken heart. Then he found himself in front of Soren, whose strange blood puzzled him and made it hard to sense anything.

"Your pain is great, but so is your future... Easy the path will not be, but the ending will be." Oscar pulled out some glittering dust and let it fall on Soren. Her wounds were healed, her clothing fixed. She was just like she was before entering the forest.

Oscar stood away from them all, regarding them with his squinted eyes. They would wake up once the night was over, if he let them. Daytime was when his queen was strongest, not him. Still, he didn't want them to wake too early. Deciding to let them rest a few hours, he muttered,

"Sleep tight, sleep light, do not wake till dawn is near tonight." With that, he smiled to himself and summoned a whirlwind, disappearing in a flash of wind.

Titania lay with her donkey headed love, the potion still holding onto her. But it would leave before daybreak, her own inner magic trying to banish it since it started. But Rhys wasn't aware of that, and neither was the fairy queen. The moon was low in the sky, but the radiant glow of the mystical garden stayed. As long as the fairy queen had her power, the flowers would grow and blossom and glow. But right now, Rhys was the only thing on her mind.

See, while Oscar had been off casting spells on mortals and running around, the spell on Rhys's head had started to wear off. Whether the garden was having an affect on his head, or Titania's power was pushing Oscar's away is unsure. All that Rhys knew was that his head was shrinking back to normal size, his hair turning red again, and his face returning to its pale skin tone. Titania didn't mind, luckily. As long as Rhys stayed with her, she would be fine.

"Stay with me... Always, and forever, Rhys." The fairy queen muttered to the priest, who was lying next to her. He looked over at her and closed his eyes. His friends... They were still counting on him. But there was this amazing goddess who loved him. _Him_, Rhys, the sickly priest who was constantly on the receiving end of others sympathy.

"M-My lady..." Rhys had regained human speech thirty minutes ago, all that was really left was the donkey ears. Titania pulled him closer and Rhys fought down a blush. She kissed the side of his cheek and Rhys's face soon matched his red hair.

"Do not decide now... We have all night to be together." Unfortunately that was not true, as then was when the fairy king suddenly remembered his fairy queen and the potion. Unwilling to leave it till dawn, the fairy king Oscar left all one hundred of his pies baking and started to make his way back to his queen's home and garden.

But the priest Rhys and the queen Titania did not know this, and they continued to cuddle together and enjoy the night they had, even if it was just a magically induced love. So while Rhys felt like he was in heaven, and Titania felt a deep love for the priest, four other mortals lay in a forest clearing deep asleep. For now.

Oscar raced through the forest, his home being as far as it could be from Titania's, and still be in the forest. While dawn was still four hours away, his steed was tired from all the running it had been doing. So tired that Oscar had decided to go with his mortal horse. While it was slower, it also took less out of the magical being then his wind horse did.

Of course Shinon had offered to take the job, his elven speed still up to par with Oscar's wind horse, or Titania's thunder steed. But this was Oscar's queen, and Shinon had failed him once. It would take time for Oscar to entrust another important job to the elf.

Oscar briefly toyed with the idea of stopping by the clearing where the mortals slept, if just to ensure his spell was working. He was tiring from the constant magical use and the night was starting to slip to daylight. His energy was wearing thin, and he was feeling like his spells were close to failing. Another reason to choose a mortal horse then a magical one.

Still, he had another two hours before he would reach his wife's home at the rate he was going. Gritting his teeth in frustration, He realized that Shinon was running next to him. The pace of a galloping horse was nothing for the elf. Oscar narrowed his eyes at the servant, who raised an eyebrow at him. Oscar quickened his pace, and so did Shinon.

"I told you to stay at my home!" Oscar shouted over the roaring wind from the ride. Shinon didn't say anything at first, just shrugging. "I cannot afford to let you fail me again!" Shinon narrowed his own green eyes in response, before replying,

"Let me bring you to your queen. I can run faster then that beast can, and without tiring." It was true, dang it. Oscar pulled his horse to a halt, the poor beast already foaming at the mouth. Jumping off, Oscar patted its rump.

"Go back home and get some rest. You need it." The horse managed to snort at him before trotting off slowly. Oscar eyed Shinon warily. "Just how are you planning on bringing my to my queen? I cannot ride you." Shinon smirked.

"No, but I'm an elf and a magical being too. I have some tricks up my sleeves." Shinon clapped his hands together and a torrent of wind was released. Oscar was forced to close his eyes fully and when the wind was gone, Shinon was as well. Instead, there was a red-haired horse regarding him with Shinon's green eyes.

"Ha! Elves are full of surprises, and so are you." Oscar quickly mounted Shinon the horse and patted his neck. "Now come on! Daybreak is in a few hours, we mustn't be late!" With a whinny as his only reply, Shinon the horse started to run and soon the forest blurred until even Oscar was having trouble keeping up with his eyes. Shinon was definitely going to brag about this one for a while.

Taking only one hour on Shinon saved Oscar all the time he needed, so it was with three hours to dawn he (once again) broke into his wife's gardens and found her where she was last- on a bed of magical flowers. Unwilling to enter the queen's grounds, Shinon had stayed back (in his usual form now) and that was probably for the better; the loud-mouthing elf probably would have asked why Oscar's spell on Rhys's head was completely gone.

But Oscar knew not the answer and he was glad his help hadn't ventured into the yard too. Watching with darkened eyes, Oscar quickly muttered the counter spell.

"Love begone, fly away, your magic is lost and your time is up." He waited for Titania to pull herself away from Rhys, for he still had furry (if not full donkey) ears. But nothing happened. Gritting his teeth, Oscar repeated the spell. Nothing, again. Finally, Oscar jumped into the garden and shouted the spell. The flowers near him wilted and their glow faded.

While she was shocked she still had her wits and Titania jumped to her feet, pushing Rhys behind her. She summoned her battle ax, spinning it in her hand confidently. Oscar narrowed his eyes and, by instinct more then will, summoned his battle lance and held it easily. Though they both usually fought on horses, they could fight just as well on foot.

"What are you doing?" Titania asked him, eyes full of furry. Rhys wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he cowered behind Titania and couldn't meet the new figure in with his eyes. The plants near Titania glowed even stronger, making up for the lost light from the now dead plants near Oscar. Oscar smiled evilly at Titania.

"The spell should be broken! Yet you still protect that mortal fool! You've lost your touch Titania!" Titania instantly knew what had happened, for she also knew of the magical potion that caused love. Her furry grew to a point where she could not control it anymore, and she lunged at Oscar, who cackled as he parried the attack and countered with a jab.

"You can't beat me! You must have been using magic this entire night! This is my realm and I have all my power! Go run with your tail between your legs Oscar! This mortal is under my divine protection. Whether my love started from magic does not matter, for I love him now and never you!" Oscar snarled like a wild animal, and quickly jumped out of the way of Titania's ax, the fairy queen having avoided Oscar's attack rather easily.

She was right, of course. Oscar _had _been using magic this entire night, and he was fighting her in her own turf. This fight wasn't in his favor, but he still had some hope. The mortal was just standing there like a fool, which Oscar decided he was. So, forgoing another attack on his wife (he had a feeling their forced marriage was over) Oscar spun around and stuck his lance through Rhys.

Except, Rhys had been put under Titania's divine protection just moments away, and her magic was (at that point) stronger then Oscar's. The lance shattered and Rhys looked at his body, stunned. He fingered his basic robes and then looked at one fairy to the next. Oscar stared at his lance, his eyes opened now. Titania moved to stand in front of Rhys before saying,

"I said the moral is under my divine protection. You are not welcome here. Thunder in the sky, wind in the trees, banish Oscar from my domain forever and a day!" Oscar shouted in defiance but he was nothing against the furry built inside Titania, and he disappeared in a torrent of thunder and wind. Titania then turned and looked at Rhys, her eyes sparkling with warmth.

"You'll be safe here, but I cannot protect you outside of my home. I will not force you to stay, but if you wish to leave it must be tonight. Oscar will recover tomorrow night, and he will not be happy." Titania frowned, and Rhys shuddered as her power seemed to increase. "I do not want you to leave... But if you wish I promise I will not stop you, or harm you in anyway to make you stay." Rhys lowered his head and chose his words carefully.

"My lady... Is there no way I can visit you? I must aid my friends tomorrow, but I have no wish to not see you again." Titania smiled sadly at him, and she looked around the garden searching for something. Finally she picked a single golden glower out of the multitude of silver hues, and muttered something to it. She then gave it to Rhys, who held it carefully. But something told him that it would never break, unless...

"It will grow and bloom no matter what. Unless something is to happen to one of us that breaks our bond. With this you can visit me once a month, and on the night of the Summer Solstice. That is when I have the most power, and once a month I can protect you. What day is it?" Rhys thought to himself and quickly responded,

"The twenty-fifth of June." Titania nodded.

"Then you can visit me every twenty-fifth of every month, and on the Summer Solstice... Little mortal..." She blushed slightly, surprising Rhys. But it seemed to enhance her hair and Rhys couldn't help but smile at the very human reaction for the fairy. "What is your name?"

"Rhys. I'm a priest for the nearby town." Titania smiled at him and Rhys blushed when she kissed him on the nose.

"Rhys. That is a very nice name..." A wind started to pick up, and Rhys realized that Titania was teleporting him to safety.

"Wait! What's your name?" Rhys cried out as the wind surrounded him. He had a feeling that he was hovering above the ground now, and felt a jolt of fear.

"Titania, young priest. Fairy Queen of the forest." With that, Rhys felt his mind leave him and, before he could say or do anything else, he was asleep in a magical wind.

Two hours left of night and Soren was the first one to wake up. Still dreary from the heavy rest she had been experiencing, the first thing the archsage noticed was that her wounds were healed, and her clothes were fine. She ran her hands over herself in disbelief. Even through all she had been experiencing, she hadn't really believe the forest was magical. But now, it appeared there was no room left for doubt.

She glanced over at the other three, and spotted Ike instantly. She scrambled to her feet (later Soren would notice that she hadn't felt any pain by moving) and Soren knelt down next to him. She brushed some of his messy hair out of his eyes and gazed at him lovingly. Ike... She thought. His wounds were healed, and though the bloody ground said otherwise, it appeared he had never been hurt in the first place. He breathed easily, and Soren was able to let out a sigh of relief at that.

Glancing over at Ranulf as the cat yawned, Soren tightened her grip on Ike's shirt. Ranulf yawned again and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He glanced, blurry eyed, at Soren and then Ike, but his eyes just slide past them (to Soren's thanks) and rested on the sleeping form of Lethe. This prompted the male cat into action.

"Lethe!" He muttered, getting up and running over to her. His fellow cat had woken up around the same time, and she looked, tired eyes and all, back at him.

"Ran-Ranulf?" She said almost hesitantly. Ranulf nodded and she sat up, Ranulf pulling her close. "A-Are you alright now?" Lethe asked. Ranulf's reply was to bring her into a kiss, and Soren looked away in a hurry.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier... I'm not sure what was wrong with me. But we're together and I don't care what they do to me, I'm always going to love you." Lethe purred from pleasure and it was then that Ike opened his eyes to see Soren.

"S-Soren?" Soren felt a wave of relief seeing Ike was awake.

"Ike! Don't talk, you need to preserve your strength..." He trailed off as Ike sat up and regarded her with his blue eyes. Soren nearly jumped as Ike put his hands on her shoulders. "I-Ike?" Soren asked, confused.

"You talk too much Soren." And with that, Ike brought Soren into a kiss. Soren wasn't sure about magical forests, fairies, or even luck before that night. Now? He was pretty sure it all existed. And, maybe, happy endings did too.

If it was some last gift from the fairy king Oscar, all the star-crossed lovers now loved the person they were supposed to. Ranulf and Lethe were happily married the next day, as were Soren and Ike. Lethe's father tried to punish her, but with intervention from Lord Naesala and Lady Leanne (mostly her) themselves, nothing happened except happiness for them all.

Rhys played the part of the female main character with a flawless perfection, as the entire actor troupe was more then happy to let him back in once they saw his head was back to normal. He kept his magical flower, and would visit the fairy queen as often as he could, spending the whole night with his love.

Oscar was sour about the experience, but he sought no revenge for the mortal who had stolen his queen. Instead, he focused on cooking enough food to keep Ilyana full, a task that he took to with zeal. His queen was only truly happy when Rhys was with her, but she ruled kindly and the forest bloomed under her rule and Oscar's.


End file.
